Position Code #: BIOCON2
LAND STEWARDSHIP INTERN, mahoosuc land Trust

Bethel, Maine

Summer 2008, 12 weeks, start date negotiable

 

Project Description:

 

The Mahoosuc Land Trust (www.mahoosuc.org) is a non-profit, land conservation organization working in central Oxford County, Maine and eastern Coos County, New Hampshire. The organization owns ten conservation properties in fee totaling 1,336 acres. It holds six conservation easements totaling 807 acres, and owns and manages two public river access sites on the Androscoggin Canoe Trail as well as a parking area for the Grafton Loop hiking trail.

 

In 2008, QLF will hire and oversee the work of a summer-long Land Stewardship Intern who will help MLT improve the stewardship of its conservation holdings. The intern will:

1.     Research the characteristics of all MLT properties and easements, including location, general ecology, and the purposes for which the property was protected. This goal will be accomplished by visiting preserves and easements and walking the boundaries where appropriate. The intern will document their work with field notes, photographs and GPS readings.

 

2.     Monitor the boundaries of the land trust’s fee properties for potential management problems, e.g., trespass or over-use, vandalism and safety hazards, and to make recommendations to rectify such problems. Also, make recommendations to the Stewardship Committee on which boundaries are in need of re-marking.

 

3.     Draft a monitoring plan for each conservation easement. The goal of each plan is to insure that each easement can be easily monitored at least annually in a manner appropriate to its size and restrictions and that documents each monitoring visit. The plans will be designed to enable a volunteer with little or no knowledge of the property to complete annual monitoring activities. The plans will identify the purpose of the easement, its unique conservation or recreation values and provide practical information about access and landowner contact for the volunteer monitor

 

4.     Draft stewardship/management plans for at least two of the fee preserves (time permitting). The plans will identify the land trust’s goals for the preserve and how to achieve them. The highest priority is those preserves with large acreage, multiple habitat types and heavy public use.

 

 

The intern will report to the Executive Director. The Stewardship Committee will prepare and prioritize a specific work plan. QLF will assist with technical support.

 

QUALIFICATIONS: Knowledge of ecology, land conservation planning, and conservation easements. A self-starter with the ability to work independently with minimal supervision and in the field, oftentimes in rugged conditions. Good written and verbal communications skills. Knowledge and familiarity with GPS technology a plus.

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Internship comes with a stipend ($2,500). Housing is provided. Personal transportation is required.

 

 

This is an excellent internship opportunity for an intern with a strong background in conservation, field ecology, and with a desire to advance local conservation efforts through the non-profit sector. The intern will be exposed to multiple dimensions of land trust management and operations.